• Problems and solutions for main street retail

    Shopability studies for two Florida cities illustrate the potential and hurdles for many American small-to-midsize downtowns.
    Note: This is one of a series of ongoing Public Square articles on the market, technological, and cultural transformation of the $5 trillion retail industry—and how it relates to a continued shift toward walkable, urban living. People love a main street, but the tired, dated look and incomplete...Read more

  • Experience is the new buzzword for walkable town centers

    As the retail market becomes less certain, mixed-use developers look to other ways to boost foot traffic and create a destination.
    Online retail sales are having a mixed impact on urbanism. Downtowns are thriving, but many walkable mixed-use centers in the suburbs are struggling, says retail expert and urbanist Bob Gibbs of Gibbs Planning . Some mixed-use developments are focusing on “experience” to create foot traffic and...Read more

  • How density and proximity are transforming retail

    As more retail moves into cities, the suburban boxes fronted by parking lots are giving way to more walkable designs.
    Big changes are taking taking place in retail, and not all of them have to do with online sales—which account for no more than 10 percent of total sales . A big shift has to do with the success of smaller, urban format stores like CityTarget opening in walkable urban locations across the US. People...Read more